


The Unexpected Turn

by Jackwinds



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Hale - Freeform, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Interspecies Relationship(s), M/M, Relationship(s), Stiles Perspective, Sweet, Undecided Relationship(s), stiles stilinski - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:31:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7248541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackwinds/pseuds/Jackwinds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The title sort of says it all... it's short-ish, read to find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Unexpected Turn

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there, it's been a while. Between laptop troubles and being buried alive in school work, I had virtually no time to post this, I wrote it back in the winter months. Stiles and Derek are really nice to write for and I'd love to post another sometime in the near future, if people like this? Thanks as always for the read, and please leave a review, comment/critique, I can use all of your help! 
> 
> Thanks, xx Jacklyn Winds

Stiles was already bored. That’s not to say that he didn’t enjoy traveling, truthfully he quite liked it. But at the ungodly hour of 5:30AM, sitting by the window at his gate, Stiles was busy wishing for anything to distract him from thinking about the approaching 5 hour flight home. The LAX airplanes were illuminated by the slowly rising sun as Stiles sipped at his triple sweetened latte. He went to check the time on his phone, only to find it dead.  
“Great,” he muttered, tossing it into his black backpack on the floor. The deceased mobile landed inside with a soft thud. He probably should have charged it before, but that’s the kind of thinking ahead that Stiles had never been good at.  
“It’s 5:43. We board in 13 minutes,” a low voice said beside him.  
Stiles jumped and glanced up as a warm, surprisingly comforting hand landed on his upper arm. Of all the people in the world to be standing before him checking a large Centurion II Hybrid on his left wrist, Stiles never imagined it would be an LAPD Officer. Nor imagined it would be former Beacon Hills resident, Officer Derek Hale. Nor, while he’s being honest, did he imagine that it would be possible for Derek Hale to look more perfect than usual but somehow he managed to. From the end of their last year both living in Beacon Hills, all the way through the first time they ran into each other at the annual LAPD formal dinner, until now, both evidently flying home, on the same day on the same flight, there had always been something that attracted Stiles to the brooding, dark and handsome that was Derek Hale to a T.  
And Stiles certainly wasn’t disappointed today. Though not in uniform, he still left Stiles just as speechless. Derek stood before him in black vans, black jeans, and a white v-neck just visible under a light gray sweater. His hand not occupying Stiles’ shoulder held a black leather jacket despite the LA heat.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you Stiles.” Derek’s low baritone, Stiles knew could sound scarily threatening but maybe he was as tired as Stiles was because it was noticeably lacking in that department that morning.  
Stiles closed his jaw quickly and coughed a reply, “Ah, oh- itsokIwasn’tscared.” All in one fast breath. Derek raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly but otherwise remained impassive to Stiles’ nervousness.  
Stiles for his part was trying his best not the be mortified, and just sighed defeatedly to himself wondering what he had ever done to deserve Derek Hale’s unnerving yet extremely attractive presence on his flight home.  
“This seat taken?”  
Stiles glanced at Derek again only to be faced with his perfected expression of blankness.  
“Uh, no. It’s all yours,” he replied cautiously.  
Derek turned to throw his jacket over the back before sitting down beside Stiles.  
They stayed quiet for a couple minutes, the silence filling the space between their shoulders and their knees, which Stiles tried not to notice were almost touching.  
Then, Derek spoke again. It was probably the most talkative Stiles had ever seen him.  
“You flying home?”  
Stiles smiled a little, “Yeah, just to see my old man. Scott and Allison are celebrating at home this year.” His best friend had moved to a beautiful property in Upstate New York with his new wife. “What about you?”  
Derek breathed out a low hm, “Just going back to get some things from storage.”  
Stiles frowned. “No holiday plans?”  
The corners of Derek’s lips flicked upwards slightly. He pressed them together though, like he was trying to suppress a smile. He ran a hand over the slight shadow of stubble across his jaw. Stiles watched him watching the clock across the gate. He hadn’t ever seen Derek clean shaven now that he thought about it… And now he was going to stop thinking about it as it was quite distracting and not helping at all.  
“Is that bad?”  
The question kind of surprised Stiles, Derek Hale didn’t often ask for a second opinion.  
“Mm, not bad so much as… sad.” Stiles said without really thinking.  
Derek flashed a rare smile. It was almost, if not more distracting than his jawline.  
“It doesn’t bother me, I’m pretty used to it.”  
Stiles frowned harder. “That’s even more sad.”  
To this, Derek actually laughed quietly. It was something Stiles didn’t know if he had ever heard, he just knew, he wanted to hear it again.  
“It’s okay Stiles. I’m really not a holiday person,” Derek said with a kind look in his stormy eyes. But the slight smile was slowly fading from his lips replaced by his usual hardened expression. Stiles seemed to vaguely recall that happening a lot on the very rare occasions that Derek’s emotions got the better of him.  
“Mm… I can’t really say I’m surprised, I know you’re kind of a lone wolf. But, I don’t know, I think the holidays are just supposed to get people home to be with friends and family.”  
Derek’s hand landed lightly on Stiles’ knee, but it sent more than a few shivers through him anyways. Stiles looked over at him questioningly and immediately wanted to take back what he had said about not being surprised. The smile across Derek’s lips was so unfamiliar, but somehow, it made Stiles feel so completely relaxed. It was soft under Derek’s heavy lidded eyes, the dark irises a startling auburn in the rising sunlight. Stiles didn’t even know Derek Hale could smile, least of all that Derek would be smiling at him.  
Stiles stared down at the suddenly captivating floor as he continued to feel Derek’s eyes baring into his soul. It was like some magical force field was preventing his eyes from going even in the slightest direction of the person with a hand still resting on his knee.  
Derek released Stiles to turn and check their gate again, “They’re starting to board… What row are you in?”  
“Ah- um. eighteen.” Stiles somehow managed to choke out.  
“Hm…” Derek was staring off into space.  
“Hey. You okay?” Stiles tilted his head to the side.  
Derek’s vision focused again, “Hm? Yeah- yes. Sorry, I’m alright.” He stood suddenly and though being able to breathe again was nice, Stiles immediately missed Derek’s presence beside him.  
“I’ll be right back.”  
Derek sauntered casually over to the check-in attendant who of course happened to be a tall, pretty, brunette Stiles noted… He sighed audibly. What was he thinking? The last thing he needed was to be getting jealous over Derek Hale.  
“Hi there, anything I can help you with?” The girl was kind of all over him the second Derek got close enough to hear her. He clearly liked her too, maybe he was in a better mood than usual, because the smile he produced for her was far and away beyond the call of duty if all he wanted to know was what time they were going to board.  
Stiles had also a couple times, seen Derek Hale shut down unwanted attention with one cold stare from the ice blue parts of his usually warm eyes. But that was not what was happening here… If Stiles didn’t know better, he’d think Mr. Sourwolf was actually purposefully flirting with said cute flight attendant girl. Stiles rolled his eyes and slouched back in his seat.  
“Him.” Derek said as Stiles glanced over again, only to find both the six foot carnivore and said cute flight attendant girl staring over… at uh, him. Wait, what?  
Derek was smirking almost unnoticeably again and somehow it seemed like the girl was smiling but, sadly now? Stiles was really confused.  
Derek continued to talk to her for another minute then with a parting smile, he walked back over to Stiles with a white boarding pass, freshly printed.  
“It’s up to you, yours is still available, but I got you a business class ticket if you want it. That is, if you don’t mind… flying with me…” Derek’s voice gradually got quieter as Stiles’ smile gradually got bigger. Derek stood before him, all the brooding confidence virtually gone, replaced completely with an uncertainty that Stiles had never seen in a Hale sibling.  
“You’re kidding,” somehow was the only thing Stiles could think of to say. Derek’s lips made that slight movement like he was going to smile again, it was really frustrating how attractive Derek was when trying not to smile.  
“No, I’m not. You really don’t have to though-”  
“Of course I want to fly with you.” Stiles interrupted quickly. It was almost painful to think that he didn’t believe Stiles would want to spend a flight with him. Derek’s eyes met Stiles’ sweet hazel colored irises, and he smiled the most genuine smile Stiles had ever seen.


End file.
